In the past, there has been developed a method for objectively evaluating a driving behavior of a driver, based on actual measurement information relating to a running state of a vehicle passing through a road such as an intersection or a traffic crossing point, a railroad crossing, or a traffic circle. In other words, based on position information and vehicle speed information of the vehicle, the driving behavior of the driver is evaluated using a preliminarily set driving behavior rule.
For example, there has been known a technique for determining, based on the transition of a vehicle speed at the time of passing through an intersection, whether or not a vehicle has temporarily stopped at a temporary stop line or a brief stop line, a technique for determining whether or not driving at reduced speed has been performed in an intersection approach, or the like. Such a technique has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-328612. In addition, there also exists a technique where, in the case of evaluating such a driving behavior, a driver characteristic is multilaterally perceived by estimating the law-abiding tendency or the information collecting capability of a driver. Such a technique has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-46759. Evaluation results of driving behaviors, obtained through these methods, may be provided as, for example, information for alerting a driver, or may be utilized as information for offering advice on a driving operation or correcting a vehicle behavior.